Venstar Thermostat Forecasts the Weather

Humidity control and remote upgrades other cool features.

If your home’s thermostat does nothing more than monitor and regulate the indoor temperature, it might be time for an update. Today’s new breed of thermostats is much more versatile than their predecessors, and Venstar’s new programmable ColorTouch is a prime example. In addition to displaying the current indoor and outdoor temperature on its color touch-sensitive screen, the ColorTouch presents the current indoor humidity level and a 3-day weather prediction. The thermostat adjusts your home’s HVAC system automatically to regulate the humidity level; it’s up to you how to respond to the weather reports.

The new features come standard with Venstar’s T5900 residential stat; Previous ColorTouch models can be updated to the new firmware. And once you have a T5900 (about $250) installed, you’ll always be able to add new features as they are introduced by simply touching a Skyport button on the thermostat. This taps into Ventar’s Skyport Cloud Services, where updates happen via the web. The web connection also enables users to monitor and control the thermostat from a variety of mobile devices.